Stumbling Towards Love
by everlovingdeer
Summary: In my head, I could hear the question even before he asked it. I had some inkling of what it was, what he wanted to ask and why he was preparing himself for getting an answer that he didn't want. Except, when he spoke next, it was a question that I certainly didn't expect. "Do you believe in soulmates?"
1. Stumbling Towards Love

Working in an independent bookshop was every bookworm's dream. It seemed so perfect, being surrounded by books and like-minded workers and having a staff discount on the books was great. As it was a smaller shop, I had flexible hours to work that fit around my school schedule and during the quieter hours, I could pluck a book that took my fancy from the shelves and leaf through it. But, the only downside was that the number of quieter hours had begun to increase.

The shop, regardless of how much I loved the cosy aesthetic, wasn't drawing as many customers as it should have. Had I been asked, I'd tell my boss that maybe if they filled the shelves with some more current books, rather than 'literary classics' to suit their own intellectual vanity, maybe they'd make more money. If I relied on my job for something more than my pocket money, the lack of customers would cause me stress, so really, I didn't understand how my boss could swan in and out of the shop without a single care.

During my shift so far, I had served a couple of elderly customers who bought a hardbound copy of something with a ridiculous, overly lengthy title, and no one else had bought anything. Multiple people walked into the shop and spent some time perusing the shelves before inevitably coming up to me as I sat, reading Pride and Prejudice for the hundredth time behind the counter, to ask if we had the newest book in a young adult series. The answer - the same answer I gave to all of these questions, was that unfortunately, we did not.

Just as I reached the part of the book where Elizabeth Bennet was rejecting Mr Darcy's first proposal, the bell on the counter was rung. Putting my bookmark in place, I stood up and placed the book on the stool before turning my attention to the counter where a young man stood, cradling a soft bound collection of Dickens's work. Taking the collection from him and being thankful that he saw no need to make small talk with me, I rang up his purchase and held out a hand for the money.

"Thank you," I said with a smile that he returned distractedly, picking through the collection of leather bookmarks by the till. He picked one out, holding it out for me and when I scanned it, he gave me more money to pay for the bookmark.

Opening the till and fishing out the correct change, I closed it with my hip, ripping off the receipt and holding both out to the customer. Accepting his change and gathering his purchase in his arms, he didn't even respond to me, "Have a good day."

It would have been normal for me to turn back, to return once more to the world of Elizabeth Bennet, but to my surprise I couldn't. There was a customer standing right behind the first. Maybe if I walked outside, I'd find pigs flying in the sky.

The customer, a teenage boy, not seeming older than me, stood patiently waiting even as I looked over him in surprise. I realised, rather belatedly as I watched him raise a hand to fidget with his dark hair at the back of his neck where it spilled over the collar of his coat, that my surprise had rendered me speechless.

"Sorry," I apologised instantly, gathering myself and holding my hands out for the book that he wanted to buy. Only, I quickly realised that he didn't have any books in his hand, and was forced to lower my hands to my side. "Can I help you with something?"

"I -" His voice came out jumbled, weedy and a little squeaky. Harshly clearing his throat as red rose to his cheeks, he gathered the courage to speak once more, "I need some help, Miss Velasquez."

My name, one I never heard whilst working, startled me so much that I almost asked how he knew my name. I was glad I didn't - not when he gestured to the name tag pinned to my jumper. I'd gotten so used to not having our few customers - usually far older than I was - seeing me as an invisible helper there to make their day easier, that I almost forgot that my nametag was there to give me some form of identity.

"What can I help you with?" At the sound of my easy agreement, he stopped his fidgeting with his hair. "Is there anything you're looking for?"

"Not really." Raising my eyes to his, for a moment I almost let myself get lost in thoughts about what colour his eyes were - because they seemed too pale to be blue, but also too deep to be grey and - he cleared his throat once more, nervously as he glanced quickly away from me. Peeking over his shoulders at the bookshelves nearest to the till he gestured towards the Gothic Fiction section. "I've never read any Gothic Fiction, is there any you can recommend?"

Truthfully, there wasn't. It was a genre I stayed away from. But, for some reason, I was so unwilling to risk sending away this customer, the first in a long time to use my name, that I rounded the counter anyway and gestured for him to follow after me. He dropped into easy steps beside me, keeping some space between us as I perused the shelves.

"I mean, there's the obvious ones like Frankenstein and Dracula," I started slowly, peeking over my shoulder at the customer who was looking at me with a blank face as if he didn't know what I was talking about. "You could start with one of those and see if you like the genre?"

"Alright." He finally stepped forward, standing beside me so his shoulders brushed my own. Surprised, and internally cursing myself for being surprised, I was careful not to show any reaction to his presence. Instead, I watched as he plucked a copy of Dracula and Frankenstein from the shelf, reading across the backs of both. When he made a face and returned Dracula to its rightful place, he met my waiting eyes and confessed, "I don't like vampires."

There was something about the way he said it as if he'd personally met some vampires, that had me fighting back a smile. "Looks like Frankenstein's the pick then."

Leading my customer back to the counter, I accepted the book and scanned it. Bagging it and preparing to announce the total, I realised that he'd already had the money extended towards me. Carrying out the transaction quickly, placed the receipt in the bag. Handing the bag to him, I smiled my best customer service smile.

"Here you go, I hope you like the book."

"Me too." He still hesitated to take the bag, but when he did, he said randomly, "Regulus. That's my name, Regulus Black."

"Regulus," I repeated, testing the unique name on my tongue. "Well, I guess you can call me by my first name then - the only people that call me Miss Velasquez are the elderly customers."

"Right." He nodded and then tried my name as well, without another glance at my nametag. And then, offering me a final soft smile, he said, "Thank you for your help. I'll tell you what I think about it when I've finished."

Simply nodding and knowing that he wouldn't come back - very few people did - I propped myself up against the counter and watched as he walked out. To my surprise, before he reached the door, he was joined by another boy - taller than him, with the same curly hair and with an arm wrapped around the shoulder of a girl. Together, the three walked out of the shop and I wondered how I hadn't realised they were here. Given how little customers we got, I always noticed when there was someone in the shop. I remained there for a moment, leaning against the counter before remembering that I had abandoned Elizabeth Bennet halfway through a chapter.

* * *

There had been a delivery of books, a rather large delivery that really could have been scheduled to come in any other day. Any other day when I wasn't the only person working. But, it had come in and to my despair, it had been another shipment of books that weren't likely to bring in more young customers to the shop. Really, was it so hard to expand the scope of the types of books we stored?

Because I was left alone, and knowing that I wouldn't hear the end of it from my boss if I didn't begin unpacking the books and shelving them, I set about working on one of the multiple boxes of books that had been dropped off at the door of the shop. I struggled, rather embarrassingly, for a long time to push the boxes indoors from the doorway.

Opening the box and removing the books one by one, I tried not to let out an aggrieved sigh when I found myself looking down into a box full of Wuthering Heights - we'd only just managed to sell the last of the Wuthering Heights books that had been on the shelves for years. Were these books really going to sit on the shelf for countless more years?

Still, I lifted them out of the box and arranged them on the self, setting them in evenly and making sure the backs lined up in the way my boss liked. I made it through one of the boxes when the bell at the top of the door rang. It was the first customer of the day. Abandoning the shelving, I turned to greet the customer and realised to my surprise that it was someone I knew, someone whose name had me searching up the meaning of said name.

Regulus - the name of a star system, also meaning prince.

"Hi," I greeted when Regulus's eyes went to the counter and found it empty. His eyes followed the sound of my voice, finding me where I stood in front of a half-empty shelf. "Regulus. I have to admit, I didn't expect you to come back."

"You remember my name, Miss Velasquez," he said, brows raised in surprise as he weaved through the two unopened boxes on his way to me. Standing a short distance away from me, he stood with his hands gathered behind his back.

Rolling my bottom lip into my mouth, I turned back to the shelf, fitting another book onto the shelf to hide my amusement; he reminded me so much of the elderly men that came into the shop - standing like that, and calling me 'Miss Velasquez' at every opportunity. "Of course I remember you, it's been a while since I've heard such a unique name."

"You've got a unique name," he said back simply and I wondered if that was his way of telling me that he remembered my name,

"I guess I have." Shrugging softly and knowing there was a smile curling at my lips, I asked, "Is there something I can help you with today? How did you find the book?"

"Amazing," he confessed with a wide smile, "I got through it in two days. So I was hoping you'd recommend me another?"

"Oh." I tried not to make a face, "Since the shop specialises in literary classics, you'll find almost any literary classic here. They're not really my favourite, to be honest. But I can give you some recommendations, nonetheless."

I gestured for Regulus to step away and he obliged. Realising I was blocked in by the large cardboard box, I had to stretch a leg over it to squeeze out of the tight corner, apologising I clutched at his forearm when I almost fell and landed flat on my face.

"It's no problem," he assured me, moving back so I could lead the way.

"What sort of books do you like?" When he looked at me silently, I added, "Just so I know what type of stories you'd like."

"I'll trust your decision," he said simply.

Silently, Regulus followed me through the shop as I made various recommendations, and because the shop was deserted except for the pair of us, I could take my time to stand in front of each shelf and give a brief synopsis of each one. Once we'd made it through one lap of the shop, we came to a still in front of the counter and I expected to find him still empty-handed or maybe even with one or two books in his hands. I certainly did not expect to find him standing there with quite a stack resting comfortably cradled between two hands.

"That's a lot of books," I said slowly, reading the titles of the books and making a mental note of the books that had taken his fancy. Rounding the counter, I wondered, "How are you going to pick one?"

"I don't plan to pick one," he said, setting the books down on the counter with a low thump. "I'm heading back to school pretty soon and I guess these are going to keep me occupied between lessons and exams."

Taking the first from the top of the pile, I started ringing up his books, "You're heading back to school as well, huh?"

"Yeah - boarding school." It was ridiculous, but I wished that he wasn't attending a boarding school because there weren't any nearby. And if there weren't any nearby, he wouldn't be able to come to the shop. It was stupid and I'd met him twice but attraction needed far less than that.

Finishing up his purchase, I put his receipt in the bag and expected him to leave. But he didn't, not at first. He glanced over his shoulder, before pointing towards the unpacked boxes that remained lingering throughout the shop. "Do you need any help with them?"

"Oh, no, really, it's fine."

"It would be no trouble," he insisted, turning to look at me with earnest eyes. "Even if only to help move them from the doorway? Or even lift them?"

"Did you - did you happen to see me try to lift them in?" I asked hesitantly, really hoping he hadn't.

"I didn't." He struggled to hide the way the corner of his lips curled up; he was lying to save me the embarrassment. "They must be heavy. And I could lift them onto the counter to make things easier for you?"

"You don't have to," I started uncertainly, but he was already moving away from the counter towards the first of the boxes.

My protests were on the tip of my tongue but I remembered the struggle of lifting even one of those ridiculous boxes but Regulus seemed to lift them easy enough. I watched, feeling like a pervert the entire time, as the muscles in his arms bunched up and tensed against the sleeves of his white shirt as he lifted the boxes. When he was finished with the task, he simply took the bag and offered me a smile larger than any other one I had managed to coax from him so far. It was rather endearing.

"I'll see you later," he declared, grabbing his bag of books, backtracking out of the shop and waving away my words of thanks.

* * *

When Regulus did return, and honestly, I hadn't expected him to return given that he'd made a vague comment about nearing the end of his holidays, to my surprise, he returned with a friend. At the sound of the door swinging open and ringing the bell, I looked up like I always did at the infrequent sound. The door still hadn't shut behind Regulus but he waved at me, entering the shop and being closely followed by another boy who stood a little taller than him. As they walked closer, I took a quick, subtle glance between the pair, cataloguing the slight similarity between the pair who I realised, when they got closer, carried themselves in the same self-assured manner.

Realising he had my attention, a smile spread across Regulus's face, bringing warmth to his features and wiping away whatever mild irritation he'd had towards his companion. I hadn't realised until then, or I hadn't really allowed myself to realise it, but he was handsome. Not in the traditional, obvious way that his companion was. But, there was something striking about his features in a way that drew you deeper - as if, the more I looked at him, the more handsome he would become.

When Regulus's companion chuckled, I started from my pondering, wondering if I'd been caught. To my relief, his eyes were on Regulus whose shoulders he patted, snickering under his breath as he disappeared and headed in between the shelves packed with classic Children's Literature. Once the taller of the two disappeared from my eyes, I looked back toward Regulus who continued his approach. Reaching the counter, Regulus crossed his arms, propping them on the surface. Realising how close the gesture brought him, I straightened up so I was no longer leaning against it.

"Hi," I said softly, trying to seem casual.

"Hello," he returned with the same warm smile that he'd greeted me with. "There haven't been many customers today then, huh?"

"Unfortunately." Shaking my head, I said, "I've sold two books today and that's it."

"And the shop's been open since 9?" At my nod, he let out a low whistle, "That's not good."

"Tell me about it." Before I could say something else, there came a thud from where Regulus's companion had headed. The sound was followed by a quick apology and a shout that I didn't need to approach him, that I could stay well where I was. Eyeing Regulus uncertainly, I was reassured when he nodded as if to tell me that it was ok. Still, I said slowly, "You're not alone today."

"No, I'm not." He followed my eyes to where they flickered once more in the direction where the sound came from. Really, if there was a large mess, I'd have to clean it all up in the end and I'd much rather get it done as quickly as I could. Although, just how much -

"Do you like him?"

Regulus's question cut through my internal rambling, making me look at him in surprise. I managed an incredulous, "What?"

Averting his eyes and pretending to watch his fingers as he trailed them across the counter in random patterns, he shrugged. Mumbling slowly, he said, "Most of the girls at school think Sirius is attractive, so I mean, I get it. He is the more handsome of the Black brothers and -"

"You're brothers?" I cut in, and I realised as Regulus straightened up, that my obvious shock had been like a blow to him. "It's just - you'd never make such a ruckus in the shop. I doubt you'd have ever drop however many books he's managed to drop."

"Oh." To my satisfaction, he was no longer swirling random patterns on the counter. Instead, he lifted his head, meeting my eyes as he probed, "Really?"

"Really," I assured him quietly. Watching him silently, I wondered whether my head was running away with itself, whether I was imagining the way he was looking at me. Surely I wasn't - given the way he'd been jealous of thinking I was attracted to his brother? Or even, how hadn't I noticed it before? "If you must know, I was wondering how long it's going to take me to clear up the mess that your brother's made over there."

"I'll help you clean it up before we leave," he promised, steadfast.

"I'll hold you to that," I warned.

"Feel free." He shrugged easily and I made no attempt to hide my smile.

"Anyway," I gestured towards the nearest display, "is there something I can help you with this time? Surely you haven't gone through the ones you bought last time?"

"I haven't finished them all." His mouth turned downwards for a second, before he admitted, "Although, I am beginning to doubt your taste and if I can trust you for advice on books anymore."

"What? Why?" I knew I sounded too offended as if he'd called me a liar or something far fouler. "Why do you think you can't trust me?"

"I completed one and I hated it." The vehemence he used to state his opinion brought a small smile to my face; I had an inkling to what book it was. Or at least, I could narrow it down in my head to a select two or three. "Part of me wanted to come here as soon as I finished it so I could discuss it with you."

"Well, why didn't you?" He blinked slowly, shocked by my question but said nothing. "If you need to know the truth - some of the ones I recommended to you were the ones that haven't sold well. They were books that we needed to get off the self."

Laughing incredulously, Regulus shook his head, "You sure are something else."

"Hey, at the end of the day, this is my job!"

When Regulus didn't answer me, I waited for him to say something. But he didn't. Rather, he continued to watch me with eyes that were liquid and molten mercury. There was a question hidden behind there, that was almost on the tip of his tongue, wanting to burst forward.

"Go on." He continued to watch me, regardless of my prompting. "Ask me. It's alright."

Slowly, under my eyes, Regulus's eyes hardened as if he was steeling his spine and preparing for the answer I'd give to the question. In my head, I could hear the question even before he asked it. I had some inkling of what it was, what he wanted to ask and why he was preparing himself for getting an answer that he didn't want. Except, when he spoke next, it was a question that I certainly didn't expect.

"Do you believe in soulmates?"

* * *

Reaching the end of yet another unfulfilling empty day of working at the shop, I was getting ready to clear up the stop to pack everything away for whoever was supposed to be working the first shift tomorrow morning which thankfully wasn't me because I was back at school. With school as my priority, I took on fewer hours at the shop and so I sat in boredom for far fewer hours. However, the time I spent in the shop doing nothing was easily used to help catch up on school work I needed to complete.

Tucking my pen back into my pencil case, I zipped it shut and piled my books in one corner. Glancing at the clock and realising there was only half an hour left until my shift ended, I rose reluctantly from my seat. If I started now, I could clean the shop up at my own leisurely place before having to close up for the day.

Coming out from behind the counter, I walked around the shop, picking up books that had been picked up and promptly abandoned in random places. It really wasn't that difficult to return the book to their original place and yet, people couldn't put in that slightest bit of effort. Piling the books in my hands, I walked around the shop, returning the books to their rightful place. I was left with a single book in my hands when the bell at the front of the shop rang.

Groaning under my breath, I leaned forward and rested my head against the nearest bookshelf; chances were, given the type of customers we tended to get, they'd linger around long past closing. Our elderly customers rarely cared that they were holding me up. With a reluctant sigh, I emerged from the bookshelves, clutching the single book in my hand as if it was a lifeline. God, I did not have it in me to put up with -

Regulus - it was Regulus.

He'd never appeared so late during my shifts. Surprised, but pleased nonetheless, I greeted him with a silent smile. Returning the smile and walking into the shop, Regulus dropped into step beside me and shadowed me as I set the book in its rightful place.

"Anything I can help you with?" he asked, eventually working up the courage to drop into step beside me.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Shooting him an amused smile, I turned my attention once more to the shop, tidying bits and pieces up as I went. "You're the customer."

"It looks like you're closing up, I don't want to keep you late. What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're just very different to the type of customer I expected to turn up."

Making it back to the safety of the counter, I contemplated hopping back behind it. But there was something stopping me, some part of me that wanted to be by him without having the barrier between us. Almost as if I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. And I did want to. But, I still had my hands held firmly at my side, unwilling to breach the distance between us.

"You're working different shifts now," Regulus started, bringing me from my internal contemplations. When I looked back at him, he was leaning against the counter, propping himself up with an elbow.

"I'm back in school." Shrugging, I hopped up onto the counter. Swinging my legs, I added, "During the term time I tend to work weekends and some evening shifts on the weekdays. If you want to keep a note of that."

"I will," he said, so straightforward that I looked at him in silent wonder. Holding my eyes, Regulus straightened up, rising to his full height. With me sitting on the counter, we were of similar height, able to look one another in the eye without any strain. I'd long since decided that grey was too plain of a word to describe his eye colour. "But why are you working so many shifts in the week? Don't you have time to relax during the week?"

"I'm not too sure you'd understand," I said simply, not seeing the need to explain to him that I didn't want to extend a hand to my parents, for them to fund me. Whatever I needed to buy, I wanted to be able to pay for it myself, especially when I knew how our family operated from paycheck to paycheck.

"I wouldn't understand?"

"I don't think you would, Mr Boarding School." Continuing to swing my legs, I reached out to teasingly brush against his trouser legs with the front of my shoe when he continued to look at me in confusion. "How long until your school holiday comes to an end? Until you have to leave?"

"Another week or so." He shrugged, a smile curving at the corner of his mouth, pulling it upwards with a brief flash of mischief. "Why? Are you going to miss me when I'm gone?"

"It makes sense you've got so long a holiday. Posh kids tend to get longer holidays than the rest of us pedestrians."

"Posh? I'm not posh," he blundered. Regulus was so started, almost offended for being called out on his upper-class upbringing, that he completely missed that I hadn't answered his question. If he hadn't been offended, then he would have called me out on it in a heartbeat. But it wasn't a bad thing, he certainly couldn't help the family he was born into. "Really, I'm not."

"Of course you're not," I agreed sarcastically, casting a pointed look over what he was wearing. I couldn't remember the last time I saw someone out age dress so smartly just to go to the bookshop. "It's not a bad thing, Regulus."

"I didn't say it was. It's just - different, from you."

"It is." Shrugging, I added, "But that's not bad either. Do you want to seem similar to me?"

"It would certainly help," he mumbled under his breath, seemingly unaware that I could hear him. When he spoke next, he spoke aloud and hesitant, "My holiday's coming to an end and before it ends, I want to go on a date with you."

Straightening up, I considered him closely. "Oh."

"You don't like me?" he asked hesitantly, eyes downcast.

"That's not the problem." I regarded him closely, watching as he remained unable to lift his eyes, to hear the rest of my answer. Still, I persisted, "I just don't know anything about you."

* * *

Time and time again, Regulus returned to the shop and without fail as I watched him leave the shop, I always believed that it would be the last one. It was an easy assumption to make really - the shop so rarely had people returning to the shop, we certainly had very few regular customers. But, somehow, within the short amount of time I'd known him, Regulus had become one of the few regulars. The last time I'd seen Regulus, after having gently let him down about not quite being ready to go on a date with him, I'd watched his retreating back as I always did. Only this time, as my eyes refused to leave Regulus, I was certain that he was going to come back, there was no lingering doubt in my mind that he wouldn't come back.

Except, he didn't.

Each day following on from Regulus's last visit, I found my head snapping up each time the bell at the front of the shop rang. My boss had started to tease me, claiming I looked like a meerkat keeping a lookout for a predator. But he didn't need to know that I was waiting for a specific customer to drop by. Without fail, I looked at each entering customer and without fail, it was never Regulus.

I didn't know how he'd done it, but in the short duration of his school holiday, he'd endeared him to me and made me actually miss him. It wasn't until he was no longer dropping by that I realised just how much my mood was affected by seeing his face. When he visited me - because I knew he wasn't just visiting the shop but was visiting me - it didn't matter if I was having a shit day or if I was in a shit mood, seeing that gentle smile and softening eyes always managed to appease me.

As a week drew by without any sign of Regulus, I knew that I wouldn't be seeing him again, not before he had to return to his boarding school, wherever it was. He had certainly been secretive about the school. Our last meeting, potentially our very last meeting, would remain in my head, now tainted with the disappointment of not getting the chance to see him again. But really, what else did I expect? I knew he wasn't from around here, he likely was only here for a holiday so how could it ever be anything more.

Sighing deeply and ignoring the way the only customers in the shop - a pair of gossiping old women - looked at me, clearly wondering what reason there was for my multiple heavy sighs. Forcing myself to focus once more on the book that was open in my lap, I started from the top of the page and realised it was the same one that I'd been on since the beginning of my shift. I started to read it once more, refusing to be dissuaded and hoping that this time at least, my attention wouldn't falter. Now that I'd made a list of all the books that needed to be restocked and amended the stock list, there really wasn't anything for me to do but read. My attention refused to cooperate.

I mean …

Surely, even if his holiday had come to an end - surely, Regulus could have walked into the bookshop if only to just say goodbye? Didn't we have a relationship that was worth at least that much courtesy? I didn't know if he agreed or not, but I believed that we'd become friends. And not just tentative friends, but actually real friends. Was that only in my imagination?

Unless …

Realising something with a gasp, I snapped the book shut, ignoring that I'd lost my place - I hadn't even concentrated on the book from the beginning anyway. He wouldn't - Regulus wouldn't be so outrageous as to cut all ties with me because I didn't agree to go on a date with him? It couldn't be that. Could it?

I personally thought that I'd had a point; that regardless of all the time we'd spent together, I really didn't know much about him. All I'd wanted to do, all I'd hoped was that he'd take it as an opportunity to tell me something about himself. Not that he'd take it as a rejection and go running?

But what if it wasn't that either? What if he'd decided that since I didn't want to go on a date with him, that I wasn't worth being friends with.

"God, I need to get it together," I mumbled under my breath; these long shifts were dangerous. With little to occupy me, my mind was rambling.

Why did I even think I deserved a goodbye? I was just someone that worked at the bookshop he liked to frequent, that was it. That was all it would be.

The bell on the counter rang. Rising from my seat, I turned to greet the older women that had finally chosen the books they wanted to buy.

"Let me get that for you," I said with a smile, holding my hands out for the book and preparing to ring it up. Subtly, I peeked at the time; there were still a couple of hours left. And I just knew that even though it wasn't the best thing, I'd be keeping an eye out for Regulus.

The rest of my shift continued with nothing of interest. Once the customers had cleared out of the shop, I was left to my own devices with very little to occupy my time. All my school work was completed, and there was still an hour or so until I could start to clean up the shop, all I could do was return to the book that I'd all too readily abandoned. There was no doubt to it, this book had already confirmed what I already knew; classical literature was hit or miss for me. But I forced myself, for the last hour, to actually sit there and make some progress in the book, all whilst stealing frequent glances at the clock.

Maybe next time I'd bring my own book in to use up my leftover time? I knew that if I got caught reading a book that wasn't a classic and therefore wasn't up to my boss's standards I'd get a telling off, but I'd just hide it when they came to check on the shop. It would certainly require far less effort than struggling through an overly stuffy book.

Once the hour thankfully came to an end, I shut the book and returned it to the shelf I'd plucked it from and silently commended myself on a job well done of not buying it in the first place. Returning once more to the counter, I looked around, able to survey the entire shop from my position and made a mental checklist of everything that needed to be done. Pushing away from the till I set about collecting the books that had been moved from their rightful position and returned them to their correct places. Someone - I was certain I knew exactly which group of students - had left empty crisp wrappers and chocolate wrappers in the corner.

"We have a sign," I complained, even as I picked up the rubbish and walked back to the counter to put the wrappers in the bin that was tucked away out of sight. I checked the window, and sure enough, the no food, no drinks sign was still there.

Just as I went to return once more to cleaning the shop, the bell at the door rang and I tried not to groan. This was not the time to be dealing with customers who would likely stick around past closing.

"The shop is preparing to close," I started instantly at the sound, hoping that the customer would understand. However, if it was our usual degree of customer, they wouldn't care.

"I'm not here to buy anything."

The answer, surprising and from an unfamiliar voice, had me looking up to find someone who, from afar barred a significant resemblance to Regulus. I knew I'd seen him before; he was taller than his brother, more handsome in the traditional way and he certainly carried himself with a sort of … loveable arrogant swagger that Regulus lacked.

Taken aback and certainly never having expected to see him, I clutched at the counter with my nerves. Still, my eyes trailed around behind him, expecting to find Regulus following after his brother. It was stupid, but I could feel the anticipation creeping up inside of me, at just the potential of having him here. "Can I help you with something?"

"Regulus didn't come." The short answer had my anticipation crushing down to an unsatisfying nothing. Glancing back to the person I was struggling to remember the name of, I watched as his face broke into an apologetic smile, "Sorry."

"I don't see what you have to apologise for," I said simply, holding his eyes.

Now that he was closer, I could see the shadow of Regulus's features hidden behind his own and yet, there was a sharpness to his features that Regulus didn't have. Unattainable, a voice in the back of my head sounded, he was the sort of person that seemed unattainable, and it was the very reason I had the counter as a shield between us. Regulus, for all his nervous and slightly cold energy, was more approachable at least in the way he looked. Maybe that was why I'd grown attached to him so quickly.

"So," I started expectantly, realising that neither of us had said a thing, "is there something wrong? Something I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself," he started with an easy smile, the type of smile I'd had to earn from Regulus. I'd earned each smile, and I'd treasured them all the more because of it. "My name's Sirius - Sirius Black."

"Sirius," I repeated, knowing that both brothers would have had equally unique names, "You're Regulus's brother."

"So he's told you about me then?" When I nodded, his grin widened so suddenly that I looked at him in surprise. He leaned against the counter, crossing his arms and looking at me expectantly. Excitedly, he asked, "What did he tell you about me then? Reggie's always so tight-lipped."

Eyeing him pointedly, I realised that at some point I had stopped clinging to the counter, I was even smiling despite myself. "He told me you have a flair for the dramatics."

"Oh, you wound me." Pressing a hand to his chest, Sirius straightened up. It was a little unnerving, how he gathered himself so quickly. Reigning himself in, his smile solemnised and he held his hands steadily at his side looking completely different to how he'd looked just seconds before. He looked … serious. "I'm here to do the big brother thing and trying to clear the path for you two."

"Clear the path?"

"It might not seem like it - but Regulus is a bit … fainthearted. Your curiosity had him running for the hills." As I continued to watch him steadily, and a bit dubiously, he insisted, "He's reluctant to open up about himself."

"I could tell," I said dryly, earning me a look that told me that Sirius didn't appreciate the remark.

"He's got it in his head that if he opens up and says something he doesn't think you'd like, that you're going to go running."

"That's stupid."

And Sirius was grinning again, prompting me to silently wonder if the man always experienced such mood swings. If he did have these mood swings, how did anyone keep up or recover at least?

"It is stupid."

"... Right."

"Just to check," Sirius started excitedly, "you wouldn't say no. You just want to get to know him first? Yes?"

Slowly, I nodded, "That's all I wanted."

"Great." Throwing me once more grin, Sirius backtracked out of the shop. He reached the door before saying loudly, "That's all I needed to know. See you around."

Then he was gone. In the blink of an eye, he was out of the shop and running down the street. After he'd left, it was like a whirlwind had rushed through the building, and the energy I'd needed to keep up with him had rapidly faded out of me. But, I thought as I shot one more look at the door, I wondered how two brothers could be so different.

* * *

The very next day, as I arrived early in the morning to open up the shop, I was unsurprised to find Regulus waiting outside for me. Upon leaving work the next day, I reflected on his brother's words, wondering if he would actually talk to Regulus about it. But, from what little interaction we'd had, I got the impression that Sirius would relay my words to his brother - probably a dramatised version, without using my actual words, but he'd relay them nonetheless. When I'd left home and started the walk into the town centre, I expected that he'd turn up at some point during my shift, but I certainly hadn't expected to find him waiting so early for me.

I recognised Regulus from afar, just as I'd turned into the highstreet. He'd been standing in front of the locked door, peeked anxiously at his pocket watch as he started his pacing. Although I didn't see his face, I didn't need to. Even from a distance, I recognised the way he carried himself and it was enough. Struggling to bit back a smile, I pushed back the sleeve of my shirt to get a glance at my watch; it wasn't even 9 o'clock.

Carrying on with my journey, I walked the rest of the way and when I got close enough, with Regulus's back still facing me, I cleared my throat pointedly. He turned on his heel, looking at me with wide eyes and opening his mouth as if to say something. Turning my eyes away from him, I reached into my pocket and fished out my keys. Nudging him out of the way with my hips, I unlocked the door, jostling the fussy key and finally managing to open it. Pushing the door open, I walked inside and then stopped, realising that he hadn't followed me.

Glancing over my shoulder, I asked pointedly, "Aren't you coming in?"

Regulus was quick to comply, stumbling slightly over his own feet in his haste. It took colossal effort, but I stopped the smile from breaking out on my face as I closed the door behind Regulus. Making sure that the sign on the door read 'CLOSED', I headed further into the shop and into the staff room at the back. Taking my backpack off, I retrieved the book and schoolwork I'd brought with me before heading out onto the shop floor. I didn't need to look for him, not when I found him fidgeting once more across the counter.

Clearing my throat again, I watched as he turned his full attention onto me. When he said nothing and honestly, I'd expected him to say something at least, I continued to set up the shop, fixing the last of the things that needed tending to behind the counter. Unlocking the till I gave him yet another pointed look when the till tray pinged open.

"You're usually so eloquent," I said slowly with a shake of my head, "and yet, instead of explaining anything, you're standing there without saying a word."

"Well," he trailed off again, and I tried not to sigh. Honestly. I had things I needed to be doing before the shop opened and yet here he was, standing in front of me and saying nothing. It was a more important priority to open the shop and yet damn him, I wanted to listen to him and to talk to him. He'd only been out of my life for a short time, and yet I'd missed him - how was I going to cope when he left at the end of his holiday? "I heard that Sirius came to see you yesterday?"

"Are you serious?" He held my eyes, just looking at me and blinking innocently as if his actions hadn't agitated me and gotten on my last nerve. "I thought your holiday had ended and that you'd just left without saying goodbye to me. And now, since you're here, I can only assume that you've still been around town and you've been just avoiding me? Just because I turned you down?"

"Actually, I -" He cleared his throat, averting his eyes and fidgeting with his hands. Regulus hesitated to speak, and I leaned against the counter, waiting for him to speak. "I'm a bit strange -"

"Oh, I know that."

"I just, don't know how much to share with you." His confession, spoken as a murmur had my eyes softening and if he'd looked up instead of studying the floor, he would've realised it. But he didn't and I certainly wasn't going to cut him off when he was working up to saying whatever was on my mind. "I haven't … done this before, so I don't really know what I'm supposed to do if you couldn't tell."

"I could tell," I said softly, failing to hide back a smile when he finally looked up, hearing the change in my voice.

"Are you free to talk?" I gestured to the empty bookshop and he nodded. "Right well, I'm Regulus Arcturus Black. My parents are called Orion and Walburga Black. You've already met my older brother Sirius - and there's just the two of us -"

"Regulus," I tried to cut in, realising he was beginning to ramble.

He shook his head as if to stop me from speaking as he continued, "The school I go to is a boarding school in Scotland and I was put into the house known for our ambition. Sirius is in the house of the brave - more like the foolhardy - but I'm on the house team and -"

"What are you doing?" I cut in abruptly, making him stop talking. When he continued to look at me with confusion, I repeated slowly, "What are you doing?"

"Telling you about me? Wasn't that what you wanted?"

Unable to stop my incredulous laugh, I assured him, "I think that's enough for now."

"Ok."

Regulus just nodded and continued to watch me expectantly. I knew what he wanted and the answer was on the tip of my tongue. But, I couldn't quieten down the petty part of me that wanted to draw it out, to make him sweat just a little bit considering all that he'd put me through over the last few days. So, I acted oblivious, turning away from him to look over the papers regarding the deliveries that I needed to put an order in. I would have let him lose himself in his own thoughts, but his eyes were so heavy on my back, and I was getting considerably little satisfaction from causing him discomfort.

"You know," I started, still sorting through papers and not looking at him, "you won't get an answer from me, not until you actually ask me something."

"I technically haven't asked you, have I?" he realised, making me laugh once more.

"No, you haven't."

"Can I - can I take you out sometime?"

"I've actually got a half shift today," I told him, "we can head out for lunch when I'm done today. How does that sound?"

"Perfect." He grinned, toothy and breathtaking. "It sounds perfect."


	2. Epilogue: 5 Years Later

5 YEARS LATER

For as long as I'd dated Regulus, I assumed that he was neat, that he kept himself tidy. He was always so insistent on keeping himself well dressed and well-kempt; his clothes were always clean and pressed, his shoes spotless and his hair was always just the right sort of long - not long enough to fall past his collar but to just brush against it at the back of his head. My boyfriend paid so much attention to the way he looked, wanting to portray the right impression of himself to others through his outward appearance, that I'd always believed his home would be neat.

Or rather, I'd believed it was until we both prepared to move in with one another. The move, a serious one that brought him out of the Wizarding world and into the Muggle world following on from the past few years of horror that he'd experienced in his hidden world. It was a big one for him, making him adapt his life to fit into my world until he was sure that he was ready to return to the world he'd grown up in, but also because it was a big step for our relationship. Frankly, it was a proposal that had taken me by surprise, completely blindsiding me. I'd accepted nonetheless.

And now, we were moving into our new apartment together and I was confronted with the sheer amount of things he owned and insisted he couldn't live without. I left him to sort his things out, even as I marvelled silently as Regulus pulled things out of his moving boxes that he hadn't even realised he owned. If he didn't realise he owned it - then how had they wound up in his boxes in the first place?

Putting away the last of the kitchen supplies, and hiding away Regulus's cauldron - a bloody cauldron of all things - somewhere out of sight from any muggle visitors we might invite over, I dropped my feet back to the ground from where I'd been leaning up on my toes. I shifted this way and that, making sure that cauldron was hidden out of sight. Thankfully it wasn't, although I did wonder what sort of potions he was planning on making and whether I'd be able to sit and watch him at work. Just an hour ago, I'd sat and watched as he warded the kitchen and although it looked like he was just waving his wand around in the air, it was fascinating to watch. It was also ridiculously attractive to see him so focused on something and so easy to master whatever it was he was doing. But I was certainly never going to tell him that.

"Love?" Regulus's voice carried through the apartment, bringing me from my thoughts.

"On my way!" I called back, shutting the cupboard door and leaving the kitchen.

Walking down the long hallway, I entered the room at the end, our shared bedroom. The door was already open, propped open by the boxes we'd yet to unpack. Standing in the open doorway, I found Regulus straining to fit a bedsheet on the mattress. I couldn't help but laugh, knowing Regulus was already rethinking moving to the muggle world and how he'd have to do more things by hand now.

"Don't laugh," he complained, still struggling. "Come and help me."

"God, you posh boy," I teased, nudging him out of the way with my hip. "Just follow my lead."

Under my expert guidance, it took very little time to fit the bedsheet and to finish making the bed. Once the bed was made, Regulus launched himself on it, shuffling from one side to the other to determine which would be his side. I stood watching him with a stupid smile, although when I looked around the room, I realised just how many of his things still needed to be put away.

"If I leave you to it, it's going to take all day to clear away your things," I complained, turning away from Regulus who tried to coax me down to join him and relax for a minute.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I grabbed the box nearest to me and lifted it onto the bed. Slapping away the thigh Regulus extended towards me, I opened up the box and started to rifle through his things. Curious and likely part dreading what I would find, Regulus sat up and watched as I drew out what looked like a letter.

For a moment, I traced my fingertip over the ink and struggled not to ask Regulus why they simply weren't allowed to use a pen. Why use a quill and ink? It was just unnecessary effort. I didn't ask and instead, I opened the letter to find a set of papers inside. Whatever the papers were, they certainly had Regulus looking at me closely, keeping watch of my facial expressions. I set the letter and the envelope aside, frowning slightly when I read the word soulmate. Paying more attention now, I read through the entire thing, struggling to understand that I was supposedly Regulus's soulmate.

"Are you -" he started hesitantly, clearing his throat and taking my hand. He cradled it in his hand, holding my eyes as he asked, "Are you annoyed? That I approached you with the ulterior motive of getting to know my soulmate and -"

"Anyone that approaches someone they have a crush on has an ulterior motive," I pointed out when his frown deepened.

It didn't ease. Even as he searched my face, "What is it then? There's something on your mind." Silently, I looked at Regulus, wondering how to voice the questions in my head. Or even, how to string the sentence together without sounding ignorant. Regulus came to his own conclusions about my silence, cutting in, "I know you don't agree with the concept of soulmates, that you think no one is predestined. And - and that you think that the right way to be with someone is to get to know them and -"

"How do they know?" I cut in ineloquently to stop his rambling. It worked. Regulus fell silent, looking at me and waiting for me to actually make sense, "How does this Ministry of yours know who someone's soulmate is?"

"What?" His incredulous question passed through surprised lips. Furrowing his brows, he held my hands more securely, "What in Salazar's name are you talking about?"

"What mechanism or technique do they use to identify soulmates? Well? Do you have any idea?"

"... No."

"And you weren't even curious enough to find out?"

"Not really."

"Really? You never asked?" Dropping his hands, I exclaimed, "No wonder you weren't a Ravenclaw."

"You don't even know what that means!"


End file.
